I'm sure you all heard by now that Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong had a meltdown on stage this weekend while performing at the iHeartRadio Music Festival. Apparently, Billie started screaming obscenities, repeatedly used the "F" word and ranted about how the band has been around since 1988 and he's not "fucking Justin Bieber." There's also word that he became very upset because promoters told the band at the last minute that they would have to cut their set short so that Usher could have a longer set.
Since Green Day have been in the business for over two decades, it does make you wonder how long has Billie had a substance abuse problem and why now has his condition worsened? I know he's often revealed in his concerts that he's drunk on stage, and people don't realize when you get on stage and are touring for extensive periods of time, many musicians use drugs and alcohol to get through their demanding sets.
I should also point out that the first part of the band's album trilogy Uno! comes out tomorrow, so my cynical side says that maybe all this drama is to create publicity for their new album, since the mainstream industry's focus has been primarily on dance/pop music and not rock.
The band is also supposed to kick off their tour this November and Billie is scheduled to mentor Christina Aguilera's team on The Voice (his episodes were taped weeks ago). The second part of Green Day's album Dos!, is scheduled for release on Nov. 13. So they most certainly have a hectic schedule ahead of them, and I hope Billie gets the help he needs before he decides to head out and handle his business obligations.
Below is a statement taken from Green Day‘s Facebook page that clears up all the rumors:
“Billie Joe is seeking treatment for substance abuse. We would like everyone to know that our set was not cut short by Clear Channel and to apologize to those we offended at the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas. We regretfully must postpone some of our upcoming promotional appearances.”
As I said before, Billie get well and take time to get the real support you need.
Watch his profanity-filled downward spiral below...
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